Turtle Trafficking Prompts Arrests in Puerto Rico

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Eight people were arrested in Puerto Rico on charges of selling
endangered sea turtles for human consumption, federal authorities
said.

The suspects were allegedly involved in selling the meat of 15
hawksbill turtles and seven green turtles, an undercover
operation revealed.

The eight individuals, all residents of Patillas and Arroyo, were
taken into custody Thursday (July 18) on felony and misdemeanor
charges. They face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and
a $250,000 fine, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Both hawksbill and
green turtles are considered endangered and protected by
Puerto Rican law, as well as the U.S. Endangered Species Act and
the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Flora and Fauna, or CITES, officials said.

Hawksbills (Eretmochelys imbricate) in the Caribbean
rely on Puerto Rican beaches to lay their eggs, with 500 to 1,000
nests laid each year on Mona Island, a small reserve west of the
mainland that has been designated as a critical habitat for the
species. In addition to their meat, the turtles are harvested for
their beautiful carapaces, or shells, which can be carved into
jewelry and other trinkets or sold whole.

Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) populations worldwide have
declined by 48 to 65 percent in the last 100 years, officials
say. The species is protected in a critical habitat in the
coastal waters around Puerto Rico's Culebra Island, east of the
mainland.

Hawksbill and green turtles are targeted by poachers elsewhere.
Their eggs, rumored to act as aphrodisiacs, are increasingly
snatched from beaches in Costa Rica and sold at bars in
Panama, according to research presented at a wildlife crime
conference earlier this year.